Osechi/Story
Fondness Story I. Replacement "Thank you for responding to my wish, God. Please grant me a Food Soul that can take my place and worship you......" "Osechi......please help me!" Within the unknown darkness, I could faintly hear someone summoning me. I couldn't control myself due to the power of the voice’s warmth and began to draw closer to it. As my eyes opened, a lavishly dressed lady stood before me. "You appeared, you really appeared! I thank you God and heaven!" "......Master Attendant?" My mind was still a complete mess. I saw her grab a bronze mirror before approaching me on her knees. The mirrors reflected both our faces. To my surprise, they could be considered exact replicas of one another, save for their different expressions. "My wish came true......I can't believe I managed to summon a Food Soul nearly identical to me!" "Why did you make that wish?" Seeing her excitement, I was confused. She gripped my hand and speaking slowly, explained everything to me. It turns out, there exists a tradition in the country's imperial family. To ensure that the imperial family lives a long, peaceful life, as well as prolonging the nation's lifespan, the imperial family will choose an unmarried princess to take on the role of miko in the emperor's shrine. She would then worship God in place of the imperial family. Being a miko meant one must not only offer everything they have to God, but also forbid themselves from romantic relationships. However, this time, the selected princess — my Master Attendant — already had her other half. Cornered, my Master Attendant sought out the magic crystals her father gave her. She poured all her hopes and strength and gave it her all to summon a Food Soul that could replace her; she took a big gamble If she were to fail, she would lose both her lover and the opportunity to be with him forever. Perhaps it was because of the sincerity in her heart that she not only summoned a Food Soul, but also one that resembled her, exactly as she wanted. Apart from her lover, no one knew about this. As for her wish, only the three of us knew about it. Until she changed her name and left this palace she called a prison, I needed to learn to emulate her mannerisms and prevent my identity from being quickly exposed once I took her place. I wasn't sure if this is the right thing to do. I'm not a princess in the imperial family, yet I had to substitute for my Master Attendant to worship God. Aren't I lying to God? If God became enraged and unleashed a disaster in a fit of fury, what should we do......? This worry endlessly tormented me and Master Attendant. Knowing how lucky she was, she consoled me. Perhaps she wasn’t consoling me, but herself. "God arranged our destinies. Since you're born from my wish, it indicates that God permits you to do so. Therefore, you don't need to worry too much." "As long you focus on properly learning, no one will find out, and nothing bad will happen." Master Attendant felt that our actions would not bring about disaster. Although I believed her, there was still a tinge of worry in my heart, causing me to mess up. Until today, this anxiety continued to grip my heart. II. Shocking Changes It's been half a year since I've become the miko of the shrine. I've also grown used to the mundane life of the shrine. As a miko with the title of a princess, I'm spared from carrying out the laborious and trivial tasks of other mikos. All I needed to do was to speak and pray to God. But still, He did not respond to my prayers. Is it because God couldn't easily communicate with us mere mortals, or was it perhaps He did not wish to communicate with us? Such thoughts made me uneasy. As the days pass, I felt drained after every session of prayers. Thus, I usually locked the doors when I returned to my room so no one would bother me. When the maid left, I tried to release all the tension I’d built up over the days. Like shapeless jelly, I sprawled out behind the folding screen, not caring whether I would crumple my expensive dress. I must remain aware of my identity before speaking or doing something. Not a single slip up can happen. Moreover, I must be careful of what I say when my mind becomes muddled, or risk drawing attention. The way they bewilderedly glance at me, as if trying to check for something amiss, often led me to believe that they were growing suspicious. It only made me fret even more. Lying on my back, I let out a long sigh. I stared at the darkness engulfing the ceiling, and raised my legs, wildly kicking in the air. It was almost as if I was trying to kick all my worries out the roof. After venting all my stress and worry for a bit, I suddenly remembered the konpeito that I hid. I calmly stood up and dragged along my heavy garments. Once I crawled towards the takamikura, (1) I tried to find the small paper bag of konpeitos. (2) : (1) Takamikura: The throne on which the Japanese emperor sits upon. In this case, it can be taken to refer as a generic royal throne. The throne is placed upon a raised platform, which is topped with a surrounding fence. : (2) Konpeito: Japanese sugar candy created by repeatedly coating sugar syrup over a core of grain of coarse sugar. They come in a variety of colors and look like little stars. As a miko, I have to follow even more rules than I did in the Imperial Palace. They were so strict that even the food I could eat was heavily regulated. As such, I had to say goodbye to certain delicacies. Fortunately for me, the maid that previously served my Master Attendant now serves me. Although we aren't very close, she still gives me some amazing things. For example, hard to find snacks in the shrine, hanafuda cards (usually played the most maids to pass time),......and wakas written by many a gutsy prince. : (3) Hanafuda: Japanese playing cards used to play many sorts of card games. Their name literally translates to “flower cards.”‘ : (4) Wakas: A type of poetry in classical Japanese literature. Those wakas were filled with deep affection, and they always amused and emboldened me. Weren’t they afraid of their divine punishment when they sent such inappropriate things to a miko? After eating just one konpeito, I heard a flurry of footsteps near the corridor. Something urgent must’ve happened to send everyone into such a state. Outside of the shoji, (5) my maid called out to me, distressed. : (5) Shoji: A door, window, room divider, consisting of translucent sheets on a lattice framework. You know, Japanese sliding doors. This caused me to panic, and I spilled the konpeitos within the takamikura’s outer fence. With no time to lose, I sat up and used my dress to hide the fallen konpeitos before letting my maid in. She entered, and nervously spoke, with no regard for formality. "My lady, the Fallen Angels are attacking. With the army out on the battlefield, the Minister of the Left is plotting a rebellion with his private army, intent on imprisoning the Emperor!" This revelation completely shocked me, and I began to panic. I gripped my chest, as it became strangely difficult to breathe. Is this the ending I had longed for so long? Is this heaven’s punishment for impersonating the princess to worship God? Is this......my fault? III. Visitor The Emperor’s brother-in-law, the Minister of the Left, was plotting to get rid of the Emperor in an attempt to ascend the young prince to the throne. This would let him rule the land with an iron fist. However, the prince’s mother couldn’t bear to see her husband be wounded. To foil his plan, she secretly leaked information about the rebellion to the General and the Minister of the Right, who were in charge of subduing the Fallen Angels. They were prepared to suppress the Minister of the Left once he began the rebellion. Indeed, in the end, the political atmosphere settled down again. After a few days, word of the Fallen Angels’ retreat spread. It is said that all of this was thanks to the Food Souls under the General. Despite being one of them, I brought disaster upon my people, instead of wielding power to protect them... My maid had limited information. I wasn’t aware of the gamble the military made. From what I knew, after the General triumphantly returned, there were yet more changes in the country again. The General joined forces with the Minister of the Right and using false names, occupied the lands far away from the capital. The imperial family......had lost its authority. As the imperial family declined, the shrine began to fall into disrepair. Since nobody could maintain the palace, would anyone even care about a shrine that needed saisen (6) from the imperial family? The kannushi (7) and maid would have to leave the shrine and either join the army or look elsewhere for a job to support and feed themselves. : (6) Saisen: Money offered to the gods or bodhisattvas. Typically, this money is put in a saisen box, a common item at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan. Used to collect offerings, a saisen box is typically a wooden coin box, with a grate for the top cover. : (7) Kannushi: Means “god master,” the person in charge of maintaining a Shinto shrine and leading worship. Basically head priest. But I can't leave. My status as miko was granted by the Emperor. As an imperial miko, I must continue praying for the country. Everyday, I would kneel in front of the shrine and beg for God’s forgiveness, hoping He wouldn’t punish the people of the country because of me. As the days passed, just when I thought everyone had forgotten about this shrine, a merchant came. Because the imperial family could no longer maintain the shrine, the kannushi opened it to the public so everyone could visit. Matsutake Dobinmushi was the first merchant to visit the shrine. He’s rather famous in Jing Zhong, and was warmly welcomed by the kannushi despite being a Food Soul. Shockingly, no one expected that he would request to see me. The kannushi persuaded me to see him because that man not only promised to give saisen to the shrine, he would also fund the construction of a new torii. (8) : (8) Torii: The gateway of a Shinto shrine, usually red. --All of this, if I'm willing to meet him. I'm not sure why he wants to see me. Perhaps he wished to raise his status even higher and bolster his business after meeting someone from the imperial family? Or perhaps, was he no different from those frivolous princes, in search of a glorious title? Or maybe…… he came because of me? For the sake of those residing in the shrine, I must reluctantly agree to this meeting. I had imagined many scenarios about how it would play out, but I didn’t expect him to tilt his head upon seeing me. With a puzzled voice, what he said astonished me: "Where's the miko? Why did she let a Food Soul to come see me?" He......he knew about my true identity! At this point, I felt a sense of unprecedented helplessness and worry. IV. Satisfied Desires "How dare you doubt my identity!" In a stern voice, I rebuked his claim, intent on making him aware of the stark contrast between our identities; the tone of my words warned him not to make wild guesses. However, he didn’t back off, and move closer instead, trying to raise the sudare (9) that separated us. : (9) Sudare are traditional Japanese screens or blinds; they are made of horizontal slats of decorative wood, bamboo, or other natural material woven together with simple string, colored yarn, or other decorative material to make nearly solid blinds. "You're definitely a Food Soul. It's impossible to hide the Soul Power within your body. How can a Food Soul replace an imperial princess to worship God?" "That's preposterous!" His words were like an arrow shot into my heart. I immediately stood up and furiously looked at him. I almost lost control of my emotions and was about to hit him. Perhaps after seeing my incensed expression, he stopped being so impolite. He moved back and sat down, speaking formally: "You don't need to be angry. I'm not interested in the truth. To me, meeting the "miko" will suffice." Caught off guard by his abrupt change in attitude, I was unsure what he would do next. "I'll hide the truth only if you help me. Don't worry, this request will benefit both of us so I'm sure the kannushi wouldn't have anything against it." This persuaded me, so I decided to hear what he had to say. If this was something the kannushi would agree to, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt the shrine. I suppressed all the worry and anger in my heart and continued our meeting. What happened afterwards was brief. But what he wanted me to do came as a surprise: he planned on holding a sumo competition in this shrine. The revenue could then be used to repair the shrine and buy incense. Since ancient times, sumo was a type of ritual to show respect to God. However, despite the fact that I’ve never witnessed before, nor heard about how it could help us bring in money, I was intrigued. Coupled with that, his proposition was so appealing that I couldn’t resist accepting it. After all that, he would work with the kannushi to schedule an appropriate date for the sumo competition. Sumo was originally an activity that was not only a popular ritual to show respect to God, but also a source of entertainment for the people. What made it even more attractive was the shrine itself. Before, it was closed to the public, so many people are curious. Moreover, when Matsutake Dobinmushi was planning on how to get the word out about this competition, he came up with an idea for spectators to receive a hand fan with the handprints of a famous sumo wrestler, emphasizing this. Along with that, they also had a chance to see the miko, who would come and observe the competition, and might even obtain an omamori blessed by her. (10) To the everyday people, this was very appealing. : (10) Omamori: Japanese amulets, usually made of wood or paper, that are little items stored inside a brocade bag. They are said to provide various forms of luck or protection and are made holy through a ritual. It would be exciting on that day, and my appearance would propel the excitement even higher. Judging by Matsutake Dobinmushi’s smile, which never once disappeared from his face, I guess he would reap many benefits from this. The always solemn kannushi’s expression relaxed now that the shrine’s problems have been resolved. On this joyous occasion, not only will their wishes be satisfied, I could also catch a glimpse of the one I looked up to. When my maid ushered my Master Attendant to me, my helpless self finally had something to rely on. I hoped she would stay with me forever and never leave, saving me from having to face the impassive God all by myself... V. Osechi Osechi's Master Attendant was an imperial princess, selected to be the new miko. As miko, her job was to stay in the shrine and pray for blessings for the country and the imperial family. Mikos may not marry during all of this. She was to worship God with all of her mind and body. Otherwise, she risked God’s punishment. Of course, no one has dared to find out if a miko found a replacement to take her place, would there be any punishment doled out? Thinking she would be lucky, Osechi took on the identity of her Master Attendant, and must now uphold the responsibility that wasn’t hers to begin with. Afterwards, the princess left the palace with her lover. Under a fake name, she lived in the mansion prepared by him. At first, the princess believed that her wishes had been fulfilled, and henceforth, will live a blissful life. Unfortunately, she quickly found out that her lover started an affair, and the time he spent visiting the princess whittled down. She spent most of her nights living in an empty mansion all by herself. She once looked forward to this blossoming relationship. But now, it had become lonely and depressing. She couldn’t accept it, and began to wonder if her lover’s change of heart was actually God’s punishment. Afterwards, the political landscape of the country began to change. This was followed by Fallen Angel attacks and a power struggle. When the princess tried to gain a position of power in the new state of affairs, her lover went to endorse her new position and lost his life. Every event began to add more and more stress on the princess. The once elegant garden became barren over time and her life became a living hell. She slowly grew thinner. Soon after, she blamed herself from running away from her responsibilities, and blamed Osechi even more for responding to her wish. If Osechi had never appeared, her life wouldn’t have become so miserable. News of the sumo competition and the miko’s special appearance to cheer on the sumo wrestlers spread like wildfire throughout Jing Zhong in the course of one night. When the princess caught wind of it, she decided to take back what she lost and revert everything back to normal. When Osechi saw the princess, she felt so gleeful that she failed to notice the strange expression on the princess’s face. Once the princess asked how Osechi was doing, she lost her mind and attacked Osechi, ripping off her headdress. Osechi finally came to her senses upon feeling the pain. Yet, she didn’t retaliate because the princess was her Master Attendant, after all. "You! You're the reason why the imperial family is in this state! If you never appeared, I would've remained as the miko and God wouldn't have punished us so!" The princess pushed all the blame onto Osechi. Because of her self doubt, after hearing all of this, Osechi couldn’t refute her words. The princess’s hostility led to Osechi to believe that she caused everything that happened. She let the princess tear away her clothes. There was only a piece of clothing left to cover Osechi’s body. The rest was on the princess. She smiled, thinking her wish was already fulfilled. --Matsutake Dobinmushi arrived, and saw this scene. He heard the entire conversation when he was at the corridor, and now that he’d seen it all, he decided to propose a solution. He pondered over it. Since Osechi had helped him garner some fame and fortune, he’d return the favor. Making her remember this act of kindness wasn’t necessarily bad. Hence, Matsutake decided to interfere. He had worked in business for many years, and could persuade anyone with his silver tongue. It was no surprise that he was able to convince a vicious and insane princess. Since the target was delusional, he just had to make it even more convincing. He wanted her to believe that nothing would change, even if she herself continued to worship God, like how it’s always been. Instead, the princess’s decision to willingly change her identity only indicated her lack of respect for God, infuriating Him even more. The princess didn’t want to risk incurring God’s fury any further and stopped her previous actions. To ensure that she would completely change her mind, Matsutake Dobinmushi took advantage of the opportunity and assured her that he had the resources to provide her with a luxurious lifestyle.Thanks to his promise, she promptly left. However, Osechi still hadn’t gotten over the fact that her Master Attendant attacked her. She tried to gather what little energy she had left, and thanked Matsutake Dobinmushi for coming to her aid. But his assistance did not stop here. When the political landscape settled down again, the General took advantage of the power of his Food Souls to obtain unquestioned authority. Fallen Angels soon attacked this country just emerging from chaos. Matsutake took advantage of this opportunity to seek out the General and persuaded him that Osechi will use the “power of God” to drive away the Fallen Angels. Osechi didn’t know how he did it. But she was more than willing to use her power to protect her people. Under the name of God, she'll grant the General unspeakable divine powers. Over time, the people began to believe that the current miko was the true miko, upholding the will of God. Knowing that the people had faith in her, Osechi no longer doubted herself and became more confident. She believed that even if she must face God, she would still admit herself to be a true miko who will try her best to protect her people. As for Matasutake Dobinmushi, the "permit" Osechi and the General gave him allowed his business to flourish. Soon, he became the richest businessman in the entire country. Category:Food Soul Story